Officially, Buddhism first arrived in China before 100 CE, probably through Southeast Asia and Tibet. Traditionally, "The Emperor Mingdi, who reigned between CE 57 and 75, is said to have dreamt of a golden deity who was later identified as Buddha, and this prompted him to send to India for copies of the Buddhist scriptures" (45, Roberts). The teachings of Buddhism continued to come into China, first into urban, high-class societies, then to the general populous. It was supported by various emperors, especially Mingdi, who spread it to the Imperial Courts, and so on down to the masses.

By the time the Sui, and shortly following Tang, Dynasty had been established, Buddhism had been in China for over half a millennia. It had a fairly strong foothold and had begun to be assimilated into Chinese culture. However, it was still only a shadow of what it would become in less than 100 years. It certainly was not without its opponents, but the Emperors who did not support it realized its power and influence, and so largely left it alone.

Major Support for Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty

Buddhism's first major supporter in the Tang Dynasty was the Empress Wu. She usurp

Emperor Wuzong's Imperial Suppression of Buddhism

Xuanzong became enamored of an imperial courtesan, Yang Guifei. Yang Guifei gained the emperor's favor, and used it to install her second cousin, Yang Guozhong, into the position of Law Officer. Unfortunately, during this time, the prime minister "began to appoint non-Chinese governors, on the grounds that they were better soldiers and held no political ambitions" (69, Roberts). This action was to cause the beginning of the end of both the Tang Dynasty and Chinese Buddhism.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Buddhism Chinese, Wuzong Buddhism, Emperor Mingdi, Empress Wu, Suppression Buddhism, Buddhism China, India Tibet, Yang Guozhong, Officer Unfortunately, Confucianism Taoism, buddhism china, tang dynasty, chinese buddhism, chinese culture, golden age, chinese society, support buddhism, empress wu, yang guifei, major supporter,
Approximate Word count = 1145
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)